Weissman



March 31, 1964 B. WEISSMAN 3,126,632 DENTAL ARTICULATOR Filed 001;. 11, 1960 IN V EN TOR. $2.140 fi/r/ss lam/u United States Patent 3,126,632 DENTAL ARTICULATGR Bernard Weissrnan, 3406 Poplar St, Oceanside, Filed Oct. 11, 196%, er. No. 61,920

9 Claims. (Cl. 32-32) This invention relates to an improved articulator in which models of portions of human teeth and jaws may be cast and thereafter removed.

It is an object of this invention to provide an articulator into which models may be directly cast and from which they may be readily removed, replaced and interchanged by simple manual manipulation.

Another object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which does not require the use of any force which might interfere with the useful life of the articulator.

Another object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which has improved model retention and ejection means.

Another object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which permits removal and replacement of a model while maintaining positive precise position at all times.

A further object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which permits removal of a model therefrom and at the same time minimizes the risk of breakage of said model.

A further object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which permits lateral pivotal movement of the upper and lower portions of the model contained therein, as well as vertical jointed movement htereof.

A further object of the invention is to provide an articulator of the character indicated which is readily available for immediate use and thereby eliminates the necessity of maintaining a stock of articulators on hand.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved dental articulator of inherently simple design and strong construction.

Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following description as read in connection with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an elevational view of said embodiment of the invention depicted in a closed position;

FIGURE 3 is an end elevational view taken about the line 3-3 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows located in the vicinity of the ends of said line 33;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevational view taken about the line 4-4 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows located in the vicinity of the ends of said line 44;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 and looking in the direction of the arrows located in the vicinity of the ends of said line 5-5;

FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional view taken about the line 66 of FIGURE 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows located in the vicinity of the ends of said line 6-6;

FIGURE 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of the aforesaid embodiment of the invention, this view also depicting the mold walls employed with the lower holder provided in said embodiment of the invention;

FIGURE 8 is an end view of said mold walls; and

FIGURE 9 is a fragmentary end view of the said lower holder, the mold retaining means provided therein being depicted in cross-section.

L'i,l2ii,h32 Patented Mar. 31, I984 As illustrated in the drawing, one embodiment of the present invention comprises an articulator which is usable in connection with an upper dental cast It) and lower dental cast 11, which may be occluded in a closed position, as depicted in FIGURE 2, so as to constitute reproductions of actual dental equipment. The upper cast It and lower cast 11 are also movable into an open position, the movement being in a path which approximately reproduces or simulates nature.

The articulator is provided with an upper and lower holder, generally designated respectively by the numerals l2 and I3 and provided with upper and lower plates disposed on the upper and lower peripheries of said articulator and designated respectively by the numerals 12a and 13a. The lower holder 13 is formed with a rearwardly disposed upright boss 14 and a forwardly disposed pair of prongs I5 spaced apart throughout their length and having opposed vertical inner faces 16 which converge rearwardly and are formed integrally with said upright boss 14. The upper holder 12 is also provided with a depending rearwardly disposed boss 17 and a forwardly disposed pair of prongs l8 spaced apart throughout their length and having opposed vertical faces 19 which converge rearwardly and are formed integrally with said depending boss 17.

A rectangular piate 29 provided with a vertical face 21 and a beveled face 22 is seated on an inclined face 23 provided on each of the bosses l4, l7. Said rectangular plate 20, for convenience, shall be hereinafter referred to as an ejector plate.

Each of the said upper and lower pairs of prongs is embraceable by an upright member including a pair of parallel walls 24 and an intermediate connecting wall 25, the said upright member being securable upon said prongs by suitable fastening means, such as pair of screws 26 disposed through apertures in said walls 24 and engageable with suitable threaded apertures provided in the bosses 14, I7. Said upright member and ejector plate, together with the prongs and external plate secured thereon define the outer portions of a mold which may be formed therein by conventional methods to produce the dental casts 16), ll heretofore referred to.

Each of these casts will be provided with a base portion 27 embracing said prongs as well as the vertical and beveled faces of each of the ejector plates. A tongue or projecting element 28 of each cast is also formed within each of the channels defined by the vertical inner faces 16 of the prongs and the plates 12a, 13a provided upon the upper and lower holders.

Important features of the invention reside in the means for retaining each of the casts within the holders after removal of the aforementioned upright member when hardening of the cast material has taken place. Thus, upon withdrawal of the screws 26 from engagement with the bosses 14, I7 and after removal of the walls 24 and 25 therefrom, so as to expose the hardened dental cast in each of the holders, it is desirable to retain said casts therein so as to permit observation of the occlusion of the upper and lower casts and to permit any further desired modifications thereof. In the instant embodiment of the invention such retention is advantageously accomplished by virtue of the beveled faces of the ejector plates which, as may be seen in FIGURE 2, serve as undercuts opposing vertical movement of the casts from the holders and maintaining the tongues of said casts in contact with the external plates. As a further cast-securing means, a pair of laterally disposed knurled hand-screws 3d are threadedly engaged with the holders, said hand-screws being engageable with detents formed in the tongues 23 of the casts, said hand-screws projecting into the mold cavity during casting, thereby forming the said detents. The

hand-screws 3%) are disposed on opposite sides of said holders, as may be seen in FIGURE 1. These handscrews assure maintenance of contact between the rearward faces of the casts and the beveled and vertical faces of the ejector plate and, at the same time, oppose forward movement of the casts with respect to the holders. In this way, accidental loss and consequent breakage of said casts are minimized.

When removal of the casts is desired, it is only necessary to Withdraw the hand-screws 3% from the detents and move the ejector plates forwardly of their contact with the inclined face 23 of each of the bosses 14, 17. Such movement breaks the bond which forms between the casts, the external plates and the prongs during casting, thereby permitting removal of the casts in a direction forward of the holders, it requiring little effort to separate the bond between the ejector plates and the casts. If desired, the casts can be replaced within the holders in the precise position they occupied when originally cast by sliding the tongues of the casts back into the holders from which they were originally obtained so as to bring the rearward ends of the casts into contact with the ejector plates and to permit the hand-screws 30 to be engaged with the detents formed in said tongues. Thus, a precise positioning of the casts may be accomplished as often as desired, regardless of how many times the casts have been previously removed from the holders.

If desired, in lieu of the hand-screws 30 there may be employed springable members, as depicted in FIGURE 9. These members include pins such as that designated at 3th: extending through an aperture 150 of each of the holders and supported upon a shoulder b provided in said aperture 15a. Said pin is urged by a spring 150 into engagement with the detent in the tongue of the cast disposable in the holder. A threaded member 15d is engaged with said aperture 15a and maintains the spring 150 against escape therefrom. With this arrangement, the pin Stia will spring into the detent when the cast is disposed between the prongs of the holder and in contact with the ejector plate in the originally formed position of said cast. Thus, a quick, precise positioning of the cast is attainable. When removal of the cast is desired, it is only necessary to loosen the threaded member 15d so as to decrease the bias of the spring 15c and thereby permit disengagement of the pin a from the detent.

Each of the ejector plates is provided with a pair of shafts 31 extending through horizontal bores 32 formed in the bosses 14, 17. Each pair of these shafts are provided with a button 33 which is depressible into an aperture 34 formed in the rearward face of each of the bosses, said button normally being urged outwardly of said aperture 34 by compression springs 35 supported on annular shoulders 36 formed in each of said horizontal bores 32.

The buttons are manually depressible into the apertures 34 so as to overcome the bias of the compression springs and accomplish the forward movement of the ejector plates, as aforesaid, thereby permitting the above-described removal of the casts. In addition, pivoting of the upper and lower holders may also be accomplished, as hereinafter described, so as to bring the buttons of the upper and lower holders into contact and thereby force each of said buttons forwardly to accomplish the movement of the ejector plates and corresponding ejection of the casts.

Such pivoting movement occurs about a shaft 37 journalled in a pair of lugs 38 provided upon the boss 14 of the lower holder. The boss 17 of the upper holder is also provided with a pair of lugs 39 which normally present areuate faces it in contact with the shaft 37, said contact being maintained by a resilient member such as a bifurcated leaf spring 41 disposed between said lugs 39 and urging said shaft 37 into contact with said areuate faces 4%. Said bifurcated leaf spring 41 is secured to the rearward portion of the boss 17 by a fastening element, such as a screw 42.

It will be noted that the occlusion of the casts secured within the upper and lower holders may be varied by means of the knurled, adjusting screw 43 which extends through an aperture in the upper external plate 12a and is threadedly engaged with the upper holder. This adjusting screw projects through the boss 17 and into abutment with the boss 14. Rotation of this adjusting screw will raise or lower its end so as to determine a plurality of relative positions of said upper and lower holders to correspond with the variation produced in the abutment between said adjusting screw and said boss 14. Thus, the relative vertical positions of the casts secured within the holders may be varied, thereby permitting study of the vertical occlusions of said casts.

In addition to the vertical pivotal movement described above, the upper and lower holders may also be laterally pivoted with respect to each other. To accomplish such lateral pivoting, the holders are twisted with respect to each other so as to dispose one of the arcuate faces 40 of the lugs 39 forwardly and substantially out of contact with the shaft 37, said shaft being disposable between an edge 48 of one of the lugs 39 and the bifurcated leaf spring 41, the latter being provided with curved portions 40 in areuate contact with said shaft. With this lastdescribed pivotable movement, relative lateral occlusion of the casts secured in the holders may be easily observed.

It will be seen from the foregoing that dental casts disposed within the holders may be readily removed and replaced, as desired, thereby permitting the rapid employment of the holders for forming a great number of casts and thus eliminating the need for maintaining a large stock of articulators. Moreover, the precise positioning of the casts available in the described device permits study of any cast upon its replacement therein, even though it was originally removed therefrom. Furthermore, the lateral and vertical pivotable movement available in the articulator closely simulates that encountered in nature, thus making the device particularly advantageous.

The embodiment of the invention illustrated and described hereinabove has been selected for the purpose of clearly setting forth the principles involved. It will be apparent, however, that the present invention is susceptible to being modified in respect to details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which may be resorted to without departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. In an articulator having an upper and lower holder and means for securing them in relatively pivotable relation, the combination comprising a movable ejector plate provided on at least one of said holders, said ejector plate being characterized by an undercut portion contactable with a dental cast formed in said holder, said undercut portion opposing removal of said cast from said holder, said ejector plate being disposed within the articulator in position for engagement by an inner portion of the cast.

2. In a device according to claim 1, said ejector plate also being provided with a vertical face, said undercut portion including an inclined face adjacent to said vertical face.

3. In a device according to claim 1, said holder having said ejector plate, provided with means for moving said ejector plate in a direction forwardly of said holder, whereby said dental cast is disposed in slidably removable contact with said holder.

4. In a device according to claim 3, said means for moving said ejector plate in a direction forwardly of said holder including at least one shaft secured to the rearward portion of said ejector plate, said shaft being provided with a depressible button and being slidably disposed in an aperture provided in said holder, said button being yieldably supported against depression by a compression spring seated in said aperture.

5. An improved articulator comprising in combination, an upper and lower holder, each formed with a pair of forwardly disposed prongs and a rearwardly disposed boss, the said holders each being provided with an external plate adjacent to said prongs, each of said holders being provided with a rearwardly disposed ejector plate characterized by a vertical and beveled surface, a mold wall embracing said holders, said mold wall together with said ejector plate, prongs and external plate defining the periphery of a dental cast, means to secure the dental cast against displacement from said holders by the beveled surface of the ejector plate and by laterally disposed adjustable means engageable with a detent formed in the dental cast, the said laterally disposed adjustable means being engaged with one of said prongs, the said ejector plate being provided with a pair of spring biased shafts housed in said rearwardly disposed boss and provided with a depressible button, the said ejector plate being forwardly disposable upon depression of said button and disengage ment of said laterally adjustable means from the cast after removal of said mold wall from said holders, whereby the said dental cast is slidaby removable from said holders, the said upper and lower holders being pivotably secured, the buttons of said holders being contactable and depressible upon piovting of said upper and lower holders from a closed to an open position, the said upper holder being provided with vertically adjustable means contactable with the boss of said lower holder to limit the relative disposition of said holders when in said closed position.

6. A device according to claim 5, the rearwardly disposed boss of the lower holder being provided with a pair of upright lugs, a horizontal shaft being journalled in said lugs, the rearwardly disposed boss of said upper holder being provided with a pair of depending lugs presenting arcuate surfaces in contact with said shaft, the said arcuate surfaces being withdrawable from contact with said shaft upon the application of a relatively lateral pivoting force to said upper and lower holders, the said arcuate surfaces being yieldably urged against relatively lateral pivotal displacement by a resilient leaf spring secured to said upper holder between the lugs thereof and in arcuate engagement with said shaft.

7. A device according to claim 6, said mold wall comprising a pair of parallel members and an intermediate connecting member, said parallel members being engaged with said holder and securable thereto by at least one laterally disposed fastening element.

8. In an articulator having an upper and lower holder and means for securing them in relatively pivotable relation, the combination comprising an ejector plate provided on at least one of said holders, said ejector plate being characterized by an undercut portion contactable with a dental cast formed in said holder, said undercut portion opposing removal of said cast from said holder, the said holder being provided with laterally adjustable means engageable with a detent provided in the said dental cast, said laterally adjustable means comprising a pin yieldably supported by a compression spring seated upon an adjustable member threadedly engaged with an aperture provided in said holder.

9. An improved articulator comprising in combination, an upper and lower holder, each formed with a pair of forwardly disposed prongs and a rearwardly disposed boss, the said holders each being provided with an external plate adjacent to said prongs, each of said holders being provided with a rearwardly disposed ejector plate charatcerized by a vertical and beveled surface, means to secure a dental cast against displacement from said holders by the beveled surface of the ejector plate and by laterally disposed adjustable means engageable with a detent formed in the dental cast, the said laterally disposed adjustable means being engaged with one of said prongs, the said ejector plate being provided with a pair of spring biased shafts housed in said rearwardly disposed boss and provided with a depressible button, the said ejector plate being forwardly disposable upon depression of said button and disengagement of said laterally adjustable means from the cast, whereby the dental cast is slidably removable from said holders, the said upper and lower holders being pivotably secured, the buttons of said holders being contactable and depressible upon pivoting of said upper and lower holders from a closed to an open position, the said holder being provided with vertically adjustable means contactable with the boss of said lower holder to limit the relative disposition of said holders when in said closed position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 643,038 Bryan Feb. 6, 1900 1,588,091 Burch June 8, 1926 2,061,484 Roebuck Nov. 17, 1936 2,070,025 Phillips Feb. 9, 1937 2,283,385 Neustadt May 19, 1942 2,389,101 Whittemore Nov. 13, 1945 

1. IN AN ARTICULATOR HAVING AN UPPER AND LOWER HOLDER AND MEANS FOR SECURING THEM IN RELATIVELY PIVOTABLE RELATION, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A MOVABLE EJECTOR PLATE PROVIDED ON AT LEAST ONE OF SAID HOLDERS, SAID EJECTOR PLATE BEING CHARACTERIZED BY AN UNDERCUT PORTION CONTACTABLE WITH A DENTAL CAST FORMED IN SAID HOLDER, SAID UNDERCUT PORTION OPPOSING REMOVAL OF SAID CAST FROM SAID HOLDER, SAID EJECTOR PLATE BEING DISPOSED WITHIN THE ARTICULATOR IN POSITION FOR ENGAGEMENT BY AN INNER PORTION OF THE CAST. 